Page 20 of The Riders’ Reign

I haven’t heard from my mother or brother who are still in hiding, or so I hope. I’ve sent them messages, but had no response, and I can’t help but fear the worst.

“I just wish I’d never come here that night. Then none of this would be happening.”

He gives me a squeeze. “I’m sure I speak for the others when I say that we’re so happy you came to us.”

I snort laugh at that. “Yeah, I’m sure Ghost would say he’d prefer not to be taken by the cartel, and Jack would say he’d prefer not to be shot.”

Rook lowers his voice. “Actually, I don’t think they would. I think they’d both gladly take the pain and the suffering if it meant having you in their lives.”

I blink back tears again, but this time for a different reason. “In which case, you’re all crazy.”

He pulls me in and kisses me. “No one ever said we were sane.”

I smile against his lips and blink back more tears. “I guess not. But what are we going to do about Hector? He’s going to want to hear Ledger’s voice.”

Something in my brain clicks. The disastrous date combined with the need for the father to hear Ledger’s voice. Adrenaline shoots through me and I sit up straighter.

“Wait, I’ve got an idea.”

Rook frowns. “What is it?”

“When Ledger was trying to persuade me to go on a date with him, he left me a couple of voice messages. I’d told him no, at first, so he’d done his best to try to convince me, though of course I understand why he was so persistent now. I don’t have that cell phone any longer, but I’m pretty sure I can still access voicemail messages remotely.”

“Even if you could, how would that help?”

“There must be voice altering technology that could make him sound as though he’s in distress. All we need is a few words or lines that we can play back to Hector. What kind of thing is Hector going to ask him? If he’s okay, maybe? Have they hurt you? That kind of thing? Surely, we can edit something together to play that will make sense? Or at least partially make sense? We’ve already told Hector that Ledger is drugged, so if he seems confused, that will still work.”

Rook is staring at me like I’m the most incredible sunset he’s ever seen. “Fucking hell, Camile. That’s brilliant.”

He pulls me in and kisses me again, but this time with a smile. “We need to tell the others. This is going to take some organizing, and we must do it fast.”

I smile back, happy I’ve finally been able to help. It doesn’t make up for the utter shitstorm I’ve caused these men, but it’s something, and Rook being happy with me warms my heart.

We leave the house, my hand in Rook’s, and head back to the clubhouse and Jack’s office. A number of the club members are still around—Smokie Saul, Big Mike, and Phoenix—and Rook pulls them to one side to explain my plan. They glance over at me, and give nods and smiles of approval, while I try not to look as awkward as I feel.

“That’s smart,” Phoenix tells me. “It could just work.”

“Not just a pretty face,” I reply.

Rook smiles at me. “We haven’t got long now. Hector will be calling soon. If we’re going to do this, we need to work fast.”

I agree. “I can get the messages right away. All it will take is a bit of editing software to make the changes. It shouldn’t take long at all.”

I hope there’s going to be something useful in what I have recorded.

In Jack’s office, I use the phone to access my voicemail remotely. I put it on speaker so everyone in the room can hear. They may well pick up on things I don’t catch that we can use.

I hate hearing Ledger’s voice again. My stomach knots and my skin crawls. I swear I feel every hair on my arms individually stand on end. I want to clamp my hands over my ears, but I need to listen to this. It’s important.

‘Hey, Camile. It’s Ledger. You hurt my feelings when you said no to our date the other day, and I understand why, but I promise I’ll be a gentleman. Think of it as two friends hanging out for the evening, not a full-on date-date. No pressure, I swear.’

“Liar,” I hiss, even though he can’t hear me.

The second message plays. ‘Ledger again. Hope everything is okay for tonight. I’m happy you changed your mind. I’ll pick you up at the front of the building at seven. Don’t go standing me up now.’ He laughs at that, but there’s a threatening tone that I hadn’t picked up on before.

I scribble down everything he’s said so I can see the words and figure out what we can chop up and rearrange. With the voice altering software, it’ll make the tone sound more natural, though he’s bound to sound off, considering the position he’s supposed to currently be in.

The men gather around me, staring down at the words I’ve written.